After a couple of hours, the tweet was deleted by the company, and Colnago issued a public apology on its Facebook page, saying:

“Colnago deeply regrets the recent posting of an image and accompanying social media post that is offensive to women, and not at all appropriate.

“Colnago has long-supported women’s cycling and continues to provide such support, we do not condone sexism, on or off the bike, and sincerely apologize for posting the image.

“Our social media policies have been clarified internally to prevent such posts from happening in the future. We respect all members of the Colnago community, and we appreciate the needed feedback many have provided to us on this matter.”

Colnago deeply regrets the recent posting of an image and accompanying social media post that is offensive to women, and...